Star Wars: Task Force 141
by ChaosMarine1992
Summary: If Task Force 141 from COD:MW2 was situated in the Star Wars universe. All characters from MW2 like soap, roach etc are replaced with my own original characters. Violence, some coarse language and MW2-styled action. Pls review.
1. Mission 1: Ashes of the Past

My first fanfic, so please review. I welcome criticism.  
For reference, Knight is "Soap" MacTavish's equivalent, and Gecko is Gary "Roach" Sanderson's equivalent.  
Later characters' equivalents will be introduced in following missions.

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Mission One: Ashes of the Past  
Location: Geonosis

In the distant horizon of Geonosis, partially obscured by the high spires and mountainous range, the sun of Ea was barely beginning to crest the tips of the mountaintops, casting slivers of bright light over the barren red mesas of the planet. The glare, however, was mitigated by great clouds of sand and dust borne by strong gusts of solar wind sweeping across the dunes. A planet once torn by wars, it was not, however, forgotten, despite the isolationist policies of its natives in the recent times.

So reflected Knight as he stood above the ruins of a toppled Geonosian spire, his vantage point to observe the barren mesas of the landscape. The human kneeled behind a broken wall, flipping the eyepiece of his tactical visor down over his face. His vision immediately became filled with holographically-displayed information, detailing everything he saw with his eyes and helmet-mounted optical sensors. His trained, experienced mind reviewed and modified existing plans for his mission, while his body relaxed and unlimbered before tensing for action.

Casually shaking down pre-mission jitters, Knight proceeded to double-check his equipment from head to toe. He wasn't carrying heavy, but he was fairly well-armed. In his hands he currently held an SVD sniper rifle, with an attached x10 telescopic sight and a system-linked laser rangefinder. Slung over his back was a SCAR-H assault rifle with red-dot reflex sights, a sound/flash suppressor and an M203 40mm grenade launcher. His spare ammunition magazines for both weapons were safely secured in his web harness, just underneath his ballistic assault vest, upon which was engraved his trademark insignia, a bare white skull. The heavy Desert Eagle Mark XIX he carried was holstered at the right side of his waist, and his tactical equipment was safely stored in a pouch strapped to the back of his hip. Other gear, like fragmentation grenades and plasma bombs, were stored in belt slots. The rest of his armour, consisting of hardened ballistic plates, was securely strapped to his shoulders, forearms and shins.

He gave a brief smile behind the bandana wrapped around his face, giving the bolt on his sniper rifle a firm pull, chambering a single 7.62x54mm FMJ round. The Task Force 141 soldier nodded affirmatively. He was ready.

"Break's over, Gecko." He growled, "Let's go."

Behind him, a few meters down the ruined spire, was Gecko. The newer member of Task Force 141 was just out of selection, one of the ten out of about seventy candidates put forward by various military groups who were selected to be member of Task Force 141. The young soldier was carrying a captured E-11 blaster rifle with an attached sound suppressor and a scope, and wearing a lightweight suit of self-assembled armour that showed off his athletic build. Though already an established soldier from a hardened militia force on some backwater planet, this was Gecko's first mission with the 141, and while Gecko had no doubt been a soldier of above-average calibre, he had a lot to live up to as a member of Task Force 141.

Task Force 141. Knight reflected for just a moment on the organisation they were currently part of. It was an interplanetary commando force comprised of the best hand-picked warriors the galaxy had to offer, tasked with intervening in potential conflict hotspots and serving as a de facto strike company for the New Republic. Its members were all highly trained, well-equipped and battle-hardened to the core, accepted regardless of background while indoctrinated to be totally loyal to the Task Force's mission: the preservation of galactic peace. Done through the striking down of insurgents, rogue pirate fleets, Imperial remnants and any other destabilizing agent or faction.

Their mission on Geonosis was to investigate the possibility of intelligence regarding plans for a secret prototype battle droid hidden beneath Geonosis' surface, undiscovered by the Empire and the Republic. Intel regarding its whereabouts also included notes on enemy forces rumoured to be guarding this knowledge; a band of pirates and a force of Geonosian mercenaries. Nothing serious; these amateur troops were not expecting any trouble and would have no idea of Knight's and Gecko's approach...until it would be too late.

Without a word, Knight rose from his position, all-temperature cloak billowing in the wind behind him, and advanced down the ruined spire, with Gecko following close behind. Swiftly moving into the hilly dunes of sand and caked dirt, the two Task Force 141 soldiers headed steadily towards their target; a blown-out spire that had once served as a base for the Separatists back in the Clone Wars but now providing shelter to criminals, pirates and raiders. Ordinarily Geonosians rarely put up with this sort of lowlife hiding on their planet...but nowadays they got everywhere, and the insectoid natives of Geonosis must have bigger problems elsewhere.

"We're out in the open here. Watch your points." Knight murmured to Gecko over the squad comlink. "Watch for movement in all directions. We don't want to be caught from the front and back."

Knight nodded affirmatively as Gecko scanned the immediate region for threats with his E-11. The younger soldier was attentive, alert, watchful, but Ren had yet to see how his actual skills in combat were.

As they swept across the desolate badlands, Knight noticed the winds picking up across their backs. A sandstorm was brewing across the plains, which was good, because it would give their approach visual cover. Bad, because some of the sandstorms on Geonosis could tear them to pieces in a maelstrom of high-speed winds, flurries of sand and razor hails of broken rock.

Knight raised one hand in a clenched fist, signalling Gecko to hold position. As the rookie did so, taking a knee and assuming a defensive position, Knight pressed two fingers to the side of his head, keying his helmet comlink to command frequency.

"This is ground team to Swift Justice, do you read?" Knight said, turning his head skywards to look for the LAAT/i gunship that had dropped them off moments before. The pilot's voice crackled back over the comlink, tinny and calm, typical of the 141's fliers.

"This is Swift Justice, what can I do for you, ground team?"

"I need a visual on the sandstorm incoming from our solar east. Can take a look at its size and determine if it's dangerous, over?" Knight asked. A moment later, the gunship pilot replied.

"Roger, I have a visual." Swift Justice responded promptly. "It looks big, but my sensor readings show that the wind speed is within tolerable limits. Judging by its trajectory, it should provide visual cover all the way to your objective." A pause, then, "It'll sting, though. The wind's still pretty fast."

"Roger, Swift Justice. Thanks for the info. Ground team out." Knight said, cutting the feed. He turned to Gecko. The rookie was busy scanning the skies, one eye pressed to the scope of his blaster rifle. Good, Knight thought, he knows to search for airborne threats. Geonosians _were_ capable of flight after all, and an aerial ambush could be just as dangerous as a land-based attack. But the odds were about to shift in their favour.

"Gecko, get your mask on. Sandstorm's coming; we're gonna use it as cover." Knight already had his facial bandana on and his tactical visor down, so he was prepared. Gecko nodded, slinging his E-11 over his back while affixing a breath mask to his face, donning a pair of goggles to protect his eyes.

Knight turned towards their objective, changing the grip on his sniper rifle to a ready position. He keyed his visor to short-ranged vision mode, just in time too; in the next instant, his world was engulfed in a billowing, roaring cloud of rushing winds and sand. He keyed his squad comlink.

"Comms check, Gecko. You read me, rookie?" Knight said.

"Affirmative, sir. Though there's some static on my end." Replied Gecko.

"Must be from the storm. You're not that clear either." Knight shrugged, the motion hidden in the sandstorm. "Alright, rookie, let's get started. Let's see your infiltration skills. But first, power up your helmet cam and link it to mine." Knight told him. A second later, shapes and outlines formed on his visor. Good, the link was established. Knight could effectively see through Gecko's eyes, through the data link between tactical helmets; good old 141 technology.

"Link established, sir. Heading up for tactical infiltration. Wish me luck." Gecko said wryly as he advanced. He soon disappeared into the storm, with only his outline highlighted on Knight's visor display.

"If you're good enough, you won't need it." Replied Knight with a slight chuckle. "Stay frosty, and you'll live to be a veteran yet. You'll be a ghost in the sandstorm, so the guards won't see you until you're very close. "

As Gecko moved towards the spire, keeping out of sight in the sandstorm, Knight ascended a low ridge he had previously marked out as a good sniping position. Nestling down on the ridge, between a pair of large stones, Knight unlimbered his Dragunov, setting his eye to the scope and peering through it for targets. The hostiles would have no idea what would be hitting them; with the sandstorm not only giving them visual cover but also hiding the noise of the SVD's shots, Knight was free to pick his shots at will. Now all that was needed was for Gecko to mark the targets.

Right on cue, the outline of a humanoid shape materialized in red about ten meters above Gecko's position. It looked like a sentry, but Knight waited for more targets to be marked.

Gecko swept his field of vision, and three more sentries were highlighted, two above and one halfway between. The two above looked like they were resting, the one below was providing overwatch. Knight laid the crosshairs of his SVD at the centre of the hostile's chest and rested his finger on the trigger.

"I got this one." He breathed into the radio, and Gecko responded by holding his position and fixing his gaze on the target. Drawing a breath into his lungs and holding it there, Knight steadied his aim and squeezed the trigger.

The sharp _crack!_ of the sniper rifle was effectively muted by the howling gale all around him, and none of the other guards noticed as the target suddenly staggered, crumpled, and fell as the 7.62mm FMJ round took him through the chest. In the next instant, Knight shifted his aim, and fired twice, silencing both of the upper guards with a shot to the cranium each.

Before he could finish off the last guard, however, the target changed stance, pulling out a blaster pistol to take aim at Gecko. Knight shifted his aim, and was about to fire, when Gecko whirled around, firing his E-11 thrice. The three shots were dead on target, and the guard toppled from his post, fading from view in the storm.

"Nice work," Knight remarked, getting up to move closer. He advanced in the cover of the sandstorm, watchful for even the slightest silhouettes in the veil of sand and wind around him. He swapped out his SVD for the SCAR-H on his back, the assault weapon being more reliable at closer ranges. "I'm oscar mike. Watch your sectors, and I'll be with you shortly. Out."

As he advanced, he was careful to cover the flank of the tower opposite Gecko. Raising his SCAR, Knight ducked into a trench dug by the guards, red-dot sight probing for targets in the sandstorm. A moment later, a single guard appeared in his field of vision, a tall and hulking Weequay. The alien was wielding a long pike in one hand and a blaster pistol in the other. It hadn't spotted him in the sandstorm, but with the alien being a native to a desert world, it wouldn't be long. Taking the initiative, Knight immediately pressed the SCAR to his shoulder and fired a silenced burst into the Weequay.

The trio of 7.62mm rounds slammed into the alien's torso and the Weequay fell with a startled grunt. Knight knew how hardy Weequay could be, however, and he rushed forward to deliver another swift burst to the prone alien. Only when the Weequay was still and its blood pooling in the red sands of Geonosis did Knight relax his guard.

He resumed his advance on the spire, and was grateful for an uneventful journey when he finally linked up with Gecko just outside the spire's entrance.

Gecko came hurrying up to Knight, who was just finishing off another guard with his combat knife. As he dropped the lifeless corpse, he remarked to Gecko, "Took the scenic route, eh?" His gaze hardened as he ripped the keycard to the base from the dead body. "Let's go."

Swiping the keycard against the door reader, Knight steadied his aim down the dark corridor that loomed before them. It was lit, though, and Knight advanced into the scarcely-illuminated gloom, danger sense on full alert, with Gecko in tow. He motioned for Gecko to cover their rear; no sense getting caught from behind. No telling if there were more guards out there.

Ahead, a single guard suddenly walked into the corridor from around the corner, oblivious to the approach of a pair of heavily-armed commandos. Without hesitating, Knight charged full on, slamming bodily into the mercenary guard and smashing him into a pair of lockers standing against the wall. As the guard gave a startled cry of alarm, Knight promptly threw him to the floor, pinning him down with one arm and plunging his six-inch combat knife into the base of the guard's neck with his free hand.

Sliding off the dead corpse, Knight idly flicked blood from his knife and sheathed it. Behind him, Gecko remarked, "You do that in all your barroom brawls, sir?"

Smiling slightly, Knight replied, "Cut the chatter, Gecko."

The two entered a large, circular room that looked like it was once a command centre, refurbished by the mercenary inhabitants with prefabricated furniture and a repaired terminal. The lights were still on, however, which meant that there were still guards somewhere inside the spire.

Knight pointed towards the only door leading further into the spire. "Gecko, lock that door."

The rookie nodded, moving towards the door console and ripping open an access panel. Reaching inside, Gecko proceeded to work with the internal wirings until the lights at the top of the door flashed red and began issuing an error tone.

"Here we go." Knight murmured as he accessed the terminal. It wasn't long before he found the target information. Only...it wasn't the target information.

Instead of battle droid schematics, what appeared on the holo-screen was complex genetic coding and chemical profiles. Also included was a series of research notes involving cybernetic implantation and physical augmentation. Knight scanned through them some more, and found the source of these files: a scientist by the name of Damascus Karava.

"Problem, sir?" Gecko asked, leaning over to take a look.

"This isn't battle droid plans...this is cybernetic research. Looks like our intel was off." Knight growled. Still, information was information, one way or another. He downloaded the files to his datapad and wiped the original files. 141's analysts could sort them out once they returned it. He grabbed his SCAR-H and walked for the door.

"Sir! INCOMING!"

Knight whipped around at Gecko's startled shout, and let fly an angry curse as the glass windows shattered into a thousand sparkling shards as a Geonosian crashed through it. The mottled-brown insect-like native of Geonosis let loose a high-pitched screech as it brandished a long, serrated pike at the two soldiers.

Gecko blasted the thing with a quartet of shots to the Geonosian's torso. As it collapsed, orange blood spilling all over the walls, Knight saw no less than two dozen more flying in.

"Gecko! Let's go!" Knight roared, ripping off a long burst at the incoming Geonosians before sprinting towards the exit, knocking two of the winged insects out of the air. Gecko followed, firing blindly behind him with his E-11 on full-auto. Behind them, the screeches of the Geonosians were closing in fast.

Bursting into the daylight, Knight raised his SCAR, ready to fire on any hostile that came into view. Outside, the sandstorm had abated, but there were small pinpricks in the distance that were rapidly closing in. Knight keyed the telescopic zoom function on his helmet cam and got a visual; a patrol of six men on three speeder bikes. He marked them as priority targets; those bikes would be their exit tickets.

"Gecko! Target those bikes! We'll need them to get out of here!" he roared, leaping into a trench for cover. Above them, more Geonosians flocked around the spire, massing their numbers for an aerial assault. The bikes were closing in, but Knight spotted an entire wave of a dozen or more bikes in the opposite direction.

As they came within range, the bikers opened fire with the laser cannons mounted beneath their bikes. Knight ignored their badly aimed shots and drew a bead on the lead bike. Expertly firing off a trio of bursts, he knocked the first pair of mercenaries off the bike in sprays of blood, causing the bike to grind to a halt less than fifty meters from their position.

Gecko fired on the second bike, blaster bolts slamming into the body of the bike itself and setting it ablaze. The burning speeder bike careened off course, where it slammed into another spire and exploded in a fiery conflagration.

The last bike slowed just near them, and the two guards onboard fired blaster pistols from their mounted positions. One bolt came dangerously close to hitting Knight in the face, but Knight returned fire and knocked both riders off the bike. Just as the last rider fell, the bolt locked back on his SCAR. He reloaded, just in time as a full flight of Geonosians leapt from their vantage point atop the spire to swoop down on them.

"Gecko! Get on that speeder bike! MOVE!" Knight shouted as he sprinted for the hovering bike. Leaping on, he keyed the ignition and sped off into the distance. Behind him, Gecko mounted the second bike and followed closely behind.

The rush of a speeder bike moving at full speed would have been enjoyable to Knight, but with a flight of angry Geonosians and a force of bike-mounted mercenaries on their tails, now wasn't the best time to enjoy it. He keyed his comlink again on the command frequency.

"Swift Justice, the primary exfil point is compromised! We're en route to the backup LZ using enemy transport! Meet us there! Over!"

"Ground team, this is Swift Justice. Roger that, out." Replied Swift Justice over the comlink. Knight banked the speeder bike sharply to the right, dodging a massive outcrop of jagged rocks. He yelled into the comlink again, this time to Gecko.

"More hostiles to the rear! Just outrun them!" He jammed the throttle full forward, and the bike whined in response, accelerating even faster. "Go, go!"

The whines of the hostiles' speeders closed in, and soon they were all over the place. Knight swerved to avoid weapons fire from one of the speeders. Behind, Gecko was trying to evade a pair of bikers on his six, firing his E-11 one-handed at the bikers in front of him.

"Don't slow down! Keep moving or you're dead!"

Knight cursed as another bike overtook him, and the rider sitting at the back of the bike fired on him with a blaster. Dodging the red bolts of energy, Knight keyed the bike's laser cannon three times. The first shot went wide, the second shot came close to hitting his mark, and as the bike's pilot swerved to avoid the attack, he ran straight into the third shot. The bike exploded in a roaring fireball, and Knight drove straight onwards.

He leapt a small hill, and nearly slammed into a flying Geonosian. He could see the LZ nearly a full kilometre ahead, but between them and their extraction point he could see a massive downwards slope and a deep crevasse easily a hundred meters across.

The comlink buzzed in his ear. "Ground team, we're getting close to bingo fuel. What's your status, over?"

A laser cannon bolt whizzed over Knight's head as he accelerated over the ridge and down the slope. "Swift Justice, we're taking heavy fire but we're almost there! Standby!"

Gecko leapt the ridge and landed on the slope. They both began dodging rocky outcroppings as they accelerated down the steep slope. "Pin the throttle! Keep going!" Knight shouted as he dodged a tall stone that would have crushed him like an insect if he had hit it.

It was not long before they reached the bottom of the slope. But there was still the matter of the massive crevasse. Fortunately, the slope ended with a slight upwards incline, so they should be able to make the jump. Gritting his teeth, Knight jammed the accelerator as hard as he could, and trusted Gecko to do the same.

"HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"

Gecko's scream was barely audible over the screeching of the speeder bike's engines as they leapt the crevasse, and the pit at the bottom of Knight's stomach emptied as time seemed to move in slow motion. Barely a few seconds but what seemed like an eternity in the air later, both Knight and Gecko's bikes landed on the far side, sliding forwards several dozen meters and throwing them both from their seats.

"Ground team, we have you on visual. Get your ass on board! We're running on fumes here!" yelled Swift Justice over the comlink.

Knight got up, moved over to the prone Gecko, and dragged him up onto his feet. "On your feet, soldier. We-are-leaving!" He half-shouted into the stunned Gecko's face. Pulling him along, Knight staggered over the last ridge, where the LAAT/i gunship had landed, waiting for them. Surrounding it were about six other Task Force 141 soldiers firing M4s at the swarming Geonosians.

"Okay, they got the intel." Shouted one of them as Knight dragged Gecko onboard. "We're outta here."

* * *

That was it. How was it?  
As I said, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	2. Mission 2: Boarding Party

Well, here it is. Mission 2. Enjoy.  
It has some brutality at the end (execution), so I apologize in advance if it offends you.  
The newer character, Vampire, is the Captain Price equivalent.  
The other names are generic TF 141 soldiers.

* * *

Mission 2: Boarding Party  
Location: Space Station Gamma-1

"Our intel suggests that Damascus Karava is hiding out here, in Gamma-1." growled the man at the head of the formation of twelve. "It's a merchant station, with lots of civilians, so watch your fire. He's supposed to have a force of mercenary guards protecting him, so we'll have to fight our way through."

Knight nodded. In the darkness of the airlock, the Task Force 141 soldier could only see his superior through his tactical helmet's night vision mode, but even through the grainy green Vampire made an imposing sight. Vampire was wearing his full assault gear, heavily-reinforced custom-styled ballistic armour with red and black urban camouflage, and a full-face helmet with his personal heraldry, a pair of bloody fangs, emblazoned on the forehead. Vampire was holding a M4 SOPMOD, to which were attached precision red-dot sights, a suppressor and a grenade launcher, with his SPAS-12 shotgun slung over his back. He surveyed the arrayed 141 soldiers with that same steely gaze he always wore, even ten years back when Vampire had first met Knight when the younger soldier was just as fresh as Gecko.

Vampire was Knight's mentor. He had taught him all he could, and there was no finer soldier in the 141. But this was no time for reminiscing. There was a mission to carry out.

Knight checked his gear. He was kitted for close combat, which was the general environment in a space station like Gamma-1. He still wore his Desert Eagle at his side, but had traded his SCAR-H for an MP5 sub-machinegun. Though much more powerful, the SCAR's weight was a liability in close-range firefights. The lighter, smaller MP5 was much more suited for close-quarters, along with its higher rate of fire.

Behind him, Gecko spoke up. "Rules of engagement, sir?"

"Karava is supposed to have all his intel on his person. So..." Vampire gave a grim-faced smile of anticipation as he cocked the bolt of his assault rifle. "Terminate on sight. But we need his files."

The hatch slid open with a mechanical _hiss_, and the twelve Task Force 141 soldiers exited in standard tactical formation. Spreading out, two by two, the group splintered and advanced through the different access corridors and main halls of the station, hunting for their target.

The mission was to locate Damascus Karava, a rogue scientist who was selling his knowledge and scientific expertise to the Empire. His current research, as Knight and Gecko had discovered on Geonosis, involved the creation of cybernetically-enhanced stormtroopers for the Empire. Their primary goal here would be to neutralize him and find out where he was conducting his activities.

Knight and Gecko were headed for the main market district, entering at one out of four points where their fellow 141 soldiers were breaching the area. According to their intel, the mercenaries accompanying Karava had all but taken over the station, at least two hundred of them, seizing control of the merchant activities. The way in was less than friendly; the two LAAT/i gunships, Swift Justice and Black Raptor, nearly had to blast their way in. They only made it in under the guise that they were system authority personnel ordered to make a full sweep of the premises, and even then Knight was sure the voice over the comlink was practically dripping with suspicion.

"Ready your weapons, Gecko." Knight said, flicking the safety off his MP5. "I don't think we're going to get a warm reception."

"Yes, sir." Replied Gecko, who in turn disengaged the safety on his E-11.

As the doors slid open, the market section came into view. It was a four-tiered, circular affair, nearly a kilometre across in diameter, and each tier was about three meters high. All across the tiered sections were shops and stalls, where merchants would barter their goods and travelling spacers browse their wares. Today, the district seemed rather empty, with barely a handful of shops open, and less than a hundred civilians.

There were, however, the mercenary guards stationed on every tier, mostly on patrols of five or six each but also garrisoned at makeshift barricades, with mounted heavy weapons like E-Web Heavy Repeating Blasters. Knight grimaced; it was going to be hell fighting across this section, what with the enemy in a superior position and mounted heavy weapons to deal with. But it wasn't impossible; they were Task Force 141, and if anyone could complete the mission, it would be them.

A patrol of four mercenaries approached them, each holding a blaster rifle. Knight's grip tightened on his MP5. His entire body tensed for action. The first mercenary had an arrogant scowl worn on his face as he drew up near to the two 141 soldiers.

"What's your business here?" he asked in a definitely hostile tone.

"Where is Damascus Karava?" Knight replied, his tone equally hostile.

"You're not the one asking questions." The mercenary and his compatriots all raised their rifles menacingly. Knight was unimpressed. Quietly he highlighted the two at the sides for Gecko on his tactical visor.

"Where is Damascus Karava?" Knight repeated, snarling like an angry dog. The mercenary showed no outward signs of intimidation, but his voice had a tremor of fear in it.

"You trying to pick a fight?" The mercenary pointed the blaster rifle squarely at Knight's chest. "We outnumber you."

Before Knight could reply, Vampire's voice buzzed over the comlink. "All units. Go loud. Repeat, go lou-..."

Just what he was waiting for. Knight snapped his MP5 up and fired at point-blank range, shredding the two lead mercenaries in a vicious hail of 9mm death. Behind him, before the remaining two could react, Gecko fired two shots, taking the two highlighted tangos through the chest. In the distance, Knight could hear the rest of the 141 forces opening fire, followed closely by the loud whooping of an alarm klaxon.

Seamlessly, the 141 soldiers swept across the market district, advancing behind cover as mercenaries swarmed into the market from numerous doors and access hatches. Emplaced E-Web guns came to life and started strafing the stalls and shops with luminous hails of laser fire, scattering civilians and merchants in blind panic while tearing through the prefabricated stalls. In response, the soldiers of Task Force 141 launched frag grenades into the air, dropping them at the feet of the advancing mercenary wave.

A series of thunderclaps shook the market district, and about a dozen mercenary soldiers fell, screaming or silent, blown to pieces and lacerated by shrapnel from the grenades' detonation. Knight fired his MP5 at an advancing fire team, cutting two of them down while wounding a third before he had to reload.

Above them, on the second tier, the doors on either side of the district slid open, and the remaining two teams of 141 soldiers entered, assuming positions on higher ground with M14EBRs, Vampire among them. They began raining precision fire on the advancing hostiles, picking off individuals and turret gunners. The mercenary wave slowed, suppressed by the sniper fire.

"Form up!" Knight roared, breaking from cover while lobbing two frag grenades over a barricade, where a trio of tangos were hiding. "Keep moving!"

The grenades shredded the mercenaries behind the barricade and blew it to splinters, and Knight charged up the street, accompanied by three other 141 soldiers. Ahead of them, more doors slid open, and another mercenary wave charged into the market district, firing as they came. Beside Knight, a 141 trooper designated as Hornet stumbled and fell, hit in the chest by a blaster bolt.

"Crypt! Ripper! Cover fire!" Knight roared as he dragged Hornet to the side, setting him down behind a large merchant stall. The shot hadn't breached his armour, fortunately, but Hornet was still stunned by the impact. Knight pointed at a side alley to the right. "Gecko! Down that alley! GO!"

Nodding, Gecko sprinted down the alley, and out of sight. Sounds of blaster fire soon echoed down that alley, but Gecko's bio-monitors were still active on Knight's display, so he was all right.

"Knight, this is Vampire." Knight's helmet comlink crackled in his ear. "We've got more militia setting up on the fourth tier of the market, and I have a visual on light mortars being deployed. You need to get moving before those mortars set up!"

"Mortars?!" Knight groaned. "Who uses mortars _inside_ a space station?

"All units, forward advance! We've got to neutralize those mortars!" Knight roared, advancing once more under the hail of blaster fire coming his way. He grunted as a crimson bolt grazed his shoulder, singeing the ballistic armour. He triggered a burst into a charging mercenary before one of the E-Webs opened up on his position, forcing him to leap into an antiques store to avoid being torn to pieces by high-powered laser fire.

Suddenly, the E-Web's gunfire was silenced, and when Knight peeked up, he saw a very familiar silhouette of a soldier in lightweight ballistic armour currently at the controls of the stationary gun, the crew of mercenaries lying dead on the ground with smoking holes in their chests.

"Good work, Gecko." Knight said approvingly, running forwards to meet him. "Turn that gun on those mortars! Don't let them open fire!"

"Yes, sir." Gecko spun the E-Web around and thumbed the firing studs. An instant later, a stream of brilliant laser fire strafed the mortar crews, blowing through their positions and tearing their formations apart.

"Good idea, Knight." Vampire said over the comlink. "All snipers, target the mortar teams and fire at will. Advance teams, get to the E-Webs and turn them against those bastards!"

Knight reached Gecko, who was still firing the E-Web at the advancing tangos. To their left, two of the 141 teams had also secured enemy E-Web positions, and had started firing as well. Knight kept firing with his MP5, killing as many as he could. After about a minute of frenzied combat, the mercenaries began to fall back, chased by the barrage of laser fire from the captured heavy repeating weapons.

"All right, we've got them on the run. All units, advance!" Vampire barked over the radio. Knight and Gecko left the entrenched gun and moved forwards, reaching the edge of the first tier. Getting up from tier to tier was facilitated by small lifts, and Knight and Gecko got onto one.

"Sir, that scientist would have been alerted by now. We've got to hurry." Knight said over the comlink.

"Noted." Vampire replied coldly. He switched to command frequency; "Viper! Take Shriek and head for hangar bay one! I'll take Ghoul to hangar bay two! The rest of you, follow the tangos and hunt them down! Some should lead you to Karava!"

Knight noticed a side door that said "Science Bay". He signalled Gecko to follow, and made for the door. Why a merchant station was outfitted with a research facility, he didn't know, but if anything, Knight was willing to bet that Karava would be there.

The door slid open as Knight keyed the controls, revealing a long, narrow corridor that was dimly lit. Perfect place for an ambush. Sliding behind a support column, Knight activated his helmet's night-vision and peeked around the corner just enough for the tactical optics mounted on the right side of the helmet to see. Just in time, the feed from the camera painted about a full half-dozen distinct silhouettes in the gloom, marking their outlines brightly in red.

Without a word, Knight unhooked a fragmentation grenade from his belt clip and motioned for Gecko to do the same. The younger soldier nodded, pulling out a grenade, resting his finger on the pin and waiting for Knight's mark.

"MARK!" Knight shouted, and both he and Gecko launched their grenades down the hallway at the ghostly red silhouettes. Panicked cries of alarm were soon cut short as the grenades exploded into fire and shrapnel. Knight lunged forwards in a sweeping advance, MP5 firing swift bursts into any red silhouettes left in sight. Gecko fired his E-11 with great care, trying not to hit his advancing superior, taking down a pair of mercenaries trying to recover from the effects of the grenades.

"All teams, give me a sitrep." Said Vampire over the command frequency, his gravelly voice accompanied by the whine of blaster weapons and the percussive staccato of assault weapons. "Does anyone have a visual on Karava, over?"

Knight pressed his finger to his ear, ignoring the moans of a dying mercenary nearby. "This is Knight. No sign of the target. Moving towards 'Science Bay' now. Out."

"This is Crypt. Securing main warehouse sector. No sign of target."

"This is Tracker. Ripper's with us, clearing the residential module. No sign of target yet."

"This is Hound. We've just secured the security control room. Give us a moment to slice the system and we should be able to locate Karava. Out."

"Good work, Hound." Vampire replied. "Knight, Crypt, break off and link up with Hound. Don't let the tangos retake the security station."

"Yes, sir." Knight replied, motioning for Gecko to follow as he started to sidetrack.

"Wouldn't the science bays make more sense to find a scientist, sir?" Gecko asked. Knight had to admit, it was a good point, and he himself felt loathe to break from an area where the target would be most likely to hide.

"Vampire, this is Knight." He began, "Permission to check the science bays for-"

A massive explosion ripped through the station, and the doors leading to the science bays erupted in a wall of blazing flames. The concussive force of the blast knocked Knight clear off his feet, slamming him against the wall three meters back, driving the breath from his lungs in one solid blow and enveloping his world in stars. His ears rung with white noise, further disorienting him.

Fighting past the confusion, Knight struggled to regain his footing, trying to make sense of just what had happened. He felt Gecko supporting him, urgently pulling him away from what seemed to be a mess of twisted metal debris and flame.

"...status! Knight? STATUS!" crackled Vampire past a wash of static. Knight struggled to press his finger to his ear, groaning as he tried to speak.

"We're okay." He grunted. "But the science bays just exploded, sir!"

"This is Hound!" crackled another voice. "We've sliced the systems and are in control of the security systems. The camera feeds in the science bays have all gone dead. They might have blown it to keep whatever Karava was working on out of our hands."

"Bollocks!" Vampire snarled, his anger transmitting over the comlink so that even a veteran like Knight felt a tremor of fear go down his spine. "Hound, locate Karava NOW! We don't need any more surprises like that!"

"Yes, sir! We have a visual on one of the feeds!" Hound replied, almost panicking. "Karava is headed towards a private hangar on the lower levels!" Hound paused, then, "Knight! If you can read me, you can cut him off if you breach the empty wall section in the restaurant near your position! It leads straight into the upper levels of the hangar!"

"Roger! Oscar mike, out!" Knight broke into a stumbling run, pulling Gecko along. Exiting the corridors, Knight burst back into the market district, charging into the restaurant, some joint called the Spacer's Haven. He reloaded his MP5, just to be sure, dropping the half-empty magazine while he ran towards the wall. Knight wasn't sure if it was thin enough to breach, but they had to try.

"Gecko! Get a breaching charge on the wall! Wait for my mark!" Knight barked, and Gecko surged into action, yanking a large, square-shaped explosive charge from his backpack. Arming the charge, Gecko pressed the explosive to the wall, giving its adhesive surface time to attach the charge to the wall, and took position opposite Knight.

"Mark!" Knight said, and Gecko thumbed the activation code from his wrist-mounted data-unit. Half a second later, the charge exploded, sending a titanic explosive shockwave through the wall, blasting a man-sized hole through the metal framework in a deafening thunderclap.

Time moved in slow-motion as Knight and Gecko surged into the gap, emerging onto the catwalk overlooking the hangar. Acting on finely-tuned instinct and razor-honed skill, Knight swept his vision across, spotting a quartet of heavily-armed guards who were reeling from the explosive blast, but more importantly, the distant figure in a stark white lab coat running for a small shuttle docked in the hangar.

His MP5 slid from one target to the next, spitting a single 9mm round at each of the four mercenary guards. Three fell, slain by expert head-shots, while the fourth stumbled backwards, gurgling helplessly and grabbing uselessly at the hole blown straight through his throat.

Nearly fifty meters away, Damascus Karava punched in the security code for the shuttle doors, and they slid open. Wearing a smug look on his flabby features, Karava spared the two 141 troopers a single arrogant grin of supposed triumph before turning to enter the shuttle.

Knight felt fury rise in his chest, and raised his MP5 to fire, but before his finger could squeeze the trigger, he felt a rush of heat to his left, and saw a single red lance of energy streak past him. In what seemed like an impossible shot, Gecko had fired his E-11 blaster, sending the blaster bolt straight into the scientist's ribcage. Karava toppled sideways, spinning as he fell, screaming in pain as the lethal shot blew open his side and immolated half his vital organs.

"Good shot, Gecko." Knight said, and honestly, he was impressed. Imperial E-11 blasters were notorious for being inaccurate over long range, and given the distance between them and the target, Gecko's shot was nothing short of miraculous. Knight didn't know if it was luck or skill that allowed him to make that shot.

"Thanks, sir." Gecko nodded, not a trace of pride in his voice, something Knight noted down with approval. "Let's see about those files."

Descending the stairs to the hangar's floor, the two Task Force 141 soldiers strode over to the dying Karava. The scientist was still twitching when they got there, but he wasn't quite dead. Yet.

Kneeling down, Gecko searched Karava's supine form, and after a moment's wait, he ripped a datapad from the pocket of Karava's lab coat. Gecko nodded to Knight, and Knight keyed his comlink.

"This is Knight to all units. We've got the files and eliminated Karava. We're done here." Knight said, broadcasting on the command frequency. He slung his MP5 over his back, satisfied that the area was clear of threat.

"Good job." Vampire said, "All units, time to pull out. Fall back to the primary exfil point and let's get out of this dump."

"Come on, Gecko." Knight said, turning away from the dying scientist. "We're out of here."

"Not soon enough for me, sir." Gecko replied.

"This...isn't the last...you've seen..."

Knight whirled around, drawing his Desert Eagle and levelling it at the scientist who clearly wasn't dead yet. Karava's face was streaked with his own blood, and judging by his rattling, bloody cough, he wouldn't last long. But it was clear he still had something left to say.

"Spit it out, Karava. And I'll be kind enough to kill you quickly." Knight snarled, pointing the handgun squarely between Karava's eyes. The scientist showed the fearlessness of a man already dead, trying to laugh but only managing a strangled gurgle.

"You'll never...make it past...the encryption." Karava groaned, even dying his contempt was effectively carried in his voice. "You have no idea...what's...waiting for...you."

"So we've got no intel." Gecko shrugged. "Big deal. I've gone on missions like that before, and people like us are still here."

"Fools..." Karava smirked. He spat a mixture of saliva and blood at Knight, but thankfully the glob fell short by about a meter. Wracked by pain from the effort, Karava leaned his head back. "The end...begins..."

"Right." Knight lowered his aim, and fired twice. The heavy .44 magnum rounds tore into the scientist's chest instead, exploding his upper torso in a crimson mist of blood and bone shards. "But you won't be around to see it."

With a final, rasping cough, Karava's head slumped backwards and his eyes glazed over. Knight holstered his Desert Eagle and turned away, walking towards the exit of the hangar.

"Sir, permission to speak freely?" Gecko asked, and Knight nodded wordlessly. Taking a deep breath, Gecko said, "You really think this is going to end, sir?"

"Of course it's going to end, Gecko." Knight murmured, his tone soft and dangerous, his eyes hardened like shards of flint. "Whatever he's planning, it's going to end.

"And we'll be the ones to finish it."


End file.
